Audrey
by Montley
Summary: A lonely, work addicted boy and an even lonelier, sick girl.


**A/N: Special thanks to Isilarma who beta'd this story for me :)**  
**Word Count (Not including title or lyrics): 3,006**

* * *

Audrey

By Montley

_"And her heart is breaking in front of me_

_And I have no choice"_

If there was one thing that Percy believed in, it was order. He needed an environment where everything was calm, placated and natural. So there he was in the Ministry, doing his _normal_ wizarding job thank you very much.

He pushed himself away from his desk and adjusted his glasses before gathering his belongings. He stood from his chair and sauntered out of his office, clutching his briefcase to his side. He straightened himself in the hallway in an attempt to accentuate his height, to prove that he towered over the rest of the employees, that he was better and that he deserved this position.

Percy chose to leave the Ministry through the guest entrance, stepping into London in order to quickly reach the Leaky Cauldron and take stroll through the fresh, cool, night air after a long day's work. He slipped his wand into his pocket and gripped tightly to his briefcase.

Percy strolled easily through the familiar dark streets to the Leaky Cauldron. People around him banged into him, but he tried to ignore it, there was no sense in making a scene. Quickly, he turned the next corner into a desolate alley; he knew it was a shortcut to the Leaky Cauldron having taken it several times before.

In an instant his shoulder was tightly gripped, and he was thrown against the wall. Musty breath touched his nose, and Percy looked into the dark eyes of his mugger. He was eye level with Percy, and unshaven, gripping a pistol in his hand. Percy tried to think of what to do, but anything that he could do to a wizard, he couldn't do with a Muggle. For the first time in his life, he felt a surge of irritation at the laws against using magic in front Muggles.

"Give me your money," the man snarled at him, and Percy shook his head, surrendering his arms.

"I-I don't have any with me," he responded, his worried eyes glancing towards his pocket.

"What's in the case?" the man demanded.

"Work papers," Percy spat. With his concentration on the case, he failed to hear the tiptoe of footsteps and the roll of wheels approaching, until there was a sickening thud.

He looked up just as his mugger fell to the ground, and Percy's eyes widened as he stared at the girl behind the fallen man. Her eyes were wide and brown as she held a tank of some sort in the air. Frazzled, she let it fall to the ground and held her hands behind her back. Percy's mouth fell open in shock; he felt like he should adjust his demeanor in front of the girl, but he did not know what else to do but stare. The girl was much smaller than him, with locks of wavy, dark brown hair falling to her shoulders. But what surprised him most of all were clear, plastic tubes emanating from her nostrils, leading to the tank she whacked his assailant with. Yet he thought she was beautiful, and he felt odd thinking so.

"Merlin," he gasped, his eyes staring into hers.

She giggled, and said, "That your boyfriend?"

"What? No!" Percy exclaimed. "That's ridiculous!"

"Fine, fine," the girl said to him with a smile.

Percy stood straight, even though on the inside his heart was beating a mile a minute, clutching his briefcase to his side, and said, "Thank you, then, I suppose."

"Of course," the girl responded, smiling, her eyes growing wider. She held out her hand to him. "I'm Audrey, Audrey Greene."

Slowly, Percy brought his hand towards hers and shook it. "Percy Weasley."

The girl smirked. "That's a unique name if I ever heard one."

"W-what's wrong with it?" Percy asked, taken aback.

"It's just not something you hear every day," she commented.

"I suppose," Percy muttered, finally looking down at the unconscious man. "What about him? What's that you hit him with?"

"Oh, he'll be fine, he's still breathing, though it'd be ironic if this old thing took his breath away," Audrey said with a small chuckle, and shrugged before indicating her tank. "This, this is Bessie, my oxygen tank, as you should probably tell, though it is dark out, I guess."

"What is it?" Percy asked again, confused by the Muggle technology.

"An oxygen tank, you know to help me breathe," Audrey said with a crease of her eyebrows. At that Percy nodded, feeling slight pity for the girl. "Well, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. You are okay, right?"

"Thanks to you," Percy answered with a smile.

"Okay then!" Audrey chirped and began to walk away with the oxygen tank in tow, but Percy knew that he didn't want her to leave; he had the urge to make her stay with him there.

"Wait!" he called and rushed up to her. She paused and turned around.

"Yes?"

Percy slowed to a stop before her, but no words fell out of his mouth, causing Audrey to laugh.

"You sure have a lot to say," she teased.

"Um, well," Percy mumbled, nervously running his hands through his hair.

Here he was, next to this alluring, girl with nothing to say. He had not been in this situation since Penelope Clearwater at Hogwarts, even then she initiated everything. He was a Wizard for Merlin's sake! But he knew that he wanted to see her again.

"Would you like to accompany me somewhere tomorrow evening? It would be your choice as I do not know London very well," he spluttered out, unsure as to why he was doing this. "As a thank you, and because you seem like a lovely girl."

Audrey titled her head to the side and nodded, "Alright. There's this pub I like."

"Fantastic," Percy said. Audrey shuffled through her purse and pulled out a pen. She reached for Percy's hand and scrawled the pub's address on it.

"How about we meet at seven?" she suggested.

"Yes, yes of course," Percy agreed. Audrey dropped his hand and turned away as she began to walk down the street. For a moment she turned back and waved at Percy while he remained still, a smile wavering on his face.

* * *

Percy paced in front of the pub waiting for Audrey to appear, a bouquet a flowers in his hand. That was what he was supposed to bring right? Girls liked flowers? His hand gripped the stems of the flowers tighter as he grew angrier. Audrey was five minutes late, and the need to see her had been gnawing at him since she left him the previous night.

Her image was clear in his head, and he wanted to run his fingers through her wavy locks, and touch her plump lips. Flushing red, he was ashamed of himself for thinking such perverse thoughts in public, almost garnering the need to slap himself silly just as he heard the sound of her rolling tank. His eyes looked up hopefully, seeing her smiling and waving at him.

"Hello!" she chirped.

"Hello, Audrey," Percy reciprocated and held out the flowers towards her.

"Thank you," she said and held them against her side. "They're gorgeous."

Percy nodded and reached out his arm. Audrey took it, and he led her inside. Was this how first dates were supposed to be? He had no idea. With Penelope all they tended to do was study, but he was not in Hogwarts this time around.

It was dark inside the pub; the walls, floor and furniture were all wooden, and there were only a few stragglers at the bar where a radio stood. Finding a table in the pub he pulled a chair out for Audrey and pushed her in while she dragged her tank with her. Once she was seated, Percy sat across from her.

"How have you been?" Percy asked, in an attempt to strike up a conversation.

"Same as yesterday."

"I see," he replied.

"You've probably been wondering about Bessie here," Audrey assumed, slapping her tank, and Percy hesitantly nodded. "I have CF, Cystic Fibrosis, which, in simplest terms, is a genetic disorder that produces mucus which gets into my lungs and other organs, and doesn't help me breathe any better, that's why I need Bessie." She gave a small smile. "She helps a lot."

Percy frowned. "Don't you have any family that's been around for you?"

"I've got Dad, my mum left a long time ago, wasn't able to handle the fact that I have CF, went off and married another man, had some kids I've never met." Audrey scoffed. "What about you?"

"Ah, yes," Percy began. "I have five brothers and a sister."

"Lucky," Audrey commented, and Percy began to notice how her body swayed to the music being played from the radio on the pub's bar.

After a moment's hesitation and a long, slow breath Percy stood from his seat and outstretched his hand towards Audrey. "Would you like to dance?"

"You're serious?" Audrey questioned with a smirk, and after receiving an encouraging nod, she took his hand, and he pulled her up. Her arms wrapped around his thin neck while his traveled to her waist as they swayed to the soft, crooning voice from the radio. Percy looked down at her flushing face, and her bright, brown eyes, not caring about what the others around them thought; he was a Gryffindor after all.

"I don't know what you want, Percy," Audrey finally said after a while. "I like you. A lot I guess. No boy has even taken an interest in me since I was fifteen, before I got Bessie," Audrey laughed, indicating Bessie, which was dancing around the two of them. "But you have to know that it won't last. I could be checked into the hospital any day, and any day could be my last. I've known it and accepted it long ago. I don't want to have to break your heart, so it's better to be friends."

Percy smiled down at her, knowing that he would not let her leave. He did not know why he was so taken with this girl, but he knew that he could save her, and that he could love her, unlike anyone else.

"No, Audrey. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you," he told her as his heart beat loudly in his chest. Audrey smiled, her slightly crooked teeth glistening, before she leaned her head against Percy's chest. Tentatively, Percy brought his hand to her head and began to wrap his fingers in her brown curls as he stared down at this poor, Muggle girl. A tear threatened to leave his eye as they continued to sway to the music emanating from the radio.

He would save her.

* * *

Cystic Fibrosis. _Cystic Fibrosis. _ Audrey didn't have much time left. Percy had estimated her to be about twenty-five, and the life expectancy for one with CF, was twenty-seven. For the first time, Percy was afraid.

The two of them had continued to go out on other dates for months after the pub, and even though Percy knew that Audrey did not want them to become romantic, he'd still be there, waiting for the day she'd change her mind. The butterflies would never stop fluttering in his stomach when he'd see her, and each day she grew more beautiful in his eyes; with her chortling laughter, the way that she'd trip over Bessie, and how her eyes glowed when her passions were ignited. He was caught in her trap, and he didn't want to be released. He was _falling, falling, falling _and he would never stop coming back_. _

He kept researching the disease, hoping for a loophole, a cure, anything. And yet, it was void and fruitless. No Muggle had found a cure, yet there was still hope in St. Mungo's.

When it had been six months that Percy had known her and was falling, her stood at her doorstep, a place he had become familiar with. It was a small home, with flowers on the patio, reminiscent of a cottage, perfect for her and her father. He was holding another bouquet, and he firmly knocked on her door, like he had done so many times before.

After a few minutes the door opened, revealing Audrey's balding father with tears in his eyes.

"Percy," he said. "It's not good."

"What-what is it?" Percy demanded, feeling the need to grip the man and shake him.

"She's in the hospital again, St. Elizabeth's hospital, infection in her lungs. It's - it's very bad this time. I'm just gathering her belongings," he told him. A tear sliding down his cheek. He reached into his home and grabbed a suitcase, dragging it along with him. "You're welcome to come with me. Though if you don't, she says goodbye."

"No," Percy said, shaking his head in disbelief. She would not leave, she would come _back. _Mr. Greene shrugged and walked to his car with the suitcase in tow as Percy watched; unable to move as he was petrified, more scared than he had ever been before.

He didn't know how long he stood there as the sun set and the neighbors stared, but his mind and soul was blank, knowing that Audrey was in the hospital, alone and dying. It came too soon, and he was not ready.

He could imagine her outstretched, begging hands as her heart beat stopped and the oxygen stopped flowing into her lungs. Her passion blown out, dead and buried.

Percy wouldn't say goodbye.

_He wouldn't. _

He would _save her_ and make her breath ever-lasting.

* * *

Percy stumbled into St. Mungo's desperate for a cure, for anything. A healer was roaming the halls and Percy ran to her, gripping her uniform.

"Help me!" he begged.

"What it is sir?" the healer questioned.

"Cystic Fibrosis, have you heard of it?"

"Yes, yes, I have, why?" she answered hesitantly. "But wizards are erased of the disease at birth it they are born with it, why is it important?"

"There's a woman," he said, closing his eyes and picturing Audrey laughing, being happy and free, his heart beating wildly. "A Muggle, and she has it."

"I'm sorry, sir, but there are probably Muggle doctors who can help instead."

"You don't understand!" Percy yelled, "She's in the hospital, probably dying as we speak, and I think I've fallen in love her!"

The healer smiled warmly. "Come with me, but this is our little secret."

* * *

Percy stood in the doorway of Audrey's hospital bedroom. Even in her sleep, she was the most beautiful person in the world. Her breathing was ragged, but Bessie was not next to her, instead she was hooked up to another oxygen tank.

Quietly, he walked towards her, careful not to wake her. He pulled one of the hospital chairs next to her bed and sat on it. He buried his head in his hands, hoping that this would work, otherwise, there was nothing left.

Carefully, he took his wand out of his pocket, and traced it along Audrey's heaving chest. He whispered the words carefully and intricately, like a song as the tears threatened to fall out of his eyes. He was not going to lose her.

A glow of yellow left the tip of his wand, disappearing inside Audrey's body as it began to stir. A cry left her mouth as she turned, but the words kept leaving Percy's mouth, he would not desist.

"S-top, t-that hurts," Audrey moaned, her eyes fluttering open.

Percy tried to ignore her pain that he wanted desperately to heal, to hold her as she cried, but he would save her, and she would come back, always. The healer had told him how to erase the gene that determined the CF, but it would take all night and the healer was not allowed to do it.

Audrey cried.

And so did he.

* * *

"It's a miracle, that's all I can say," Audrey's doctor told her as he held his clipboard. "The infection and the mucus are gone, and it's as though you never had the disease. We did the normal tests we did when you were born to scan for the disease in your genome, but the gene seems to be obscured. We will look into it further of course, but congratulations Miss. Greene."

The doctor turned and left the room, while Percy tried to hold in a smirk. Audrey was still on her bed, and she hesitantly took the nose plugs for the oxygen tank out of her nose, and breathed the fresh air for the first time in years.

Tears began to slid out of her eyes once she realized that it was real, that it was not a dream, that maybe Percy did do something last night, that for the first time, it was not her imagination.

Her father squeezed her in a hug, crying his own tears.

"I'll get you some nice chocolates for you from the gift shop," her father told her, standing up. "And we'll go to dinner tonight. With Percy! If he wishes to attend."

"Of course I do," Percy said. "I always will."

Her father scurried out of the room, and Percy approached Audrey's bed as she sat up. She faced him, staring at his freckled face as her hands reached out and touched his cheeks. She pulled him down and his lips finally tasted hers in the way that he dreamed of for so long. They were dry and chapped, but he didn't care, he drowning into her.

Audrey parted her lips away from his, but her breath was ghosting along his lips. "I've been wanting to do that for so long."

"So have I," Percy confessed.

"I can't believe it's gone, my CF, I can have a life now, with you," Audrey croaked, as she began to cry in happiness and joy. "It's like magic."

"Exactly," Percy concurred, pressing his lips against hers again, and not for the last time, for they would always come back and never say goodbye.

_"Cause I won't say goodbye anymore" _

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading, I hope that you enjoyed it!**

**This was for: **

**The Quidditch Competition: Round Five with prompts: Back, This Love by Maroon Five and Radio. **

**John Green Appreciation Competition with the quote: ****_"It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you"_**

**All Sorts of Love Competition: Canon**


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